Józef Kuraś
Józef Kuraś (23 October 1915 – 22 February 1947), noms-de-guerre "Orzeł" (Eagle) and from June 1943 "Ogień" (Fire), was born in Waksmund near Nowy Targ. He served as lieutenant in the Polish Army during the invasion of Poland, and became an underground member of Armia Krajowa and Bataliony Chłopskie in the Podhale region. After the end of World War II, he continued his fight against the Communist authorities and was one of the leaders of the so-called "cursed soldiers".
Józef Kuraś | |
|---|---|
Józef Kuraś "Ogień" | |
| Born | 23 October 1915 Waksmund, Poland |
| Died | 22 February 1947 (aged 31) Nowy Targ, Polish People's Republic |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| Allegiance | Poland |
| Service/ | Polish Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Kuraś died in Nowy Targ on 22 February 1947 after attempting suicide, having been ambushed at Ostrowsko by units of the Polish secret police. A controversial historical figure, he has been accused of antisemitism and committing war crimes by multiple groups and organisations, including those representing Jewish and Slovak communities in Poland and the Slovakian National Memory Institute, and by scholars like Jan T. Gross. In 2006, the Polish president Lech Kaczyński opened an official memorial in Zakopane, in recognition of his resistance efforts.
Kuraś's reputation is extremely controversial due to evidence implicating him in war crimes against Slovak and Jewish refugees, and letters showing that he advocated for the ethnic cleansing of Jews.